Marmalade
by Asahi
Summary: Shounen-Ai. A Palletshipping story, in which Satoshi returns home to Pallet Town and finds an old friend waiting for him…


Author's note: Marmalade is named after a Gackt song, but the lyrics at the start and end of the story is from _Kimi no Tame ni Dekiru Koto_, also a Gackt song. _Kimi no Tame ni Dekiru Koto_ is a really sweet and cute song, and not very Gackt-like… ^_^ Then again, so is _Marmalade_, but _Kimi no Tame's_ lyrics suited the story… I will add the English translation of the lyrics as soon as I get around to writing a decent translation. This story is loosely based off the anime series, and greatly based off the game boy games… This fanfic also contains Shounen-Ai, so if you have a problem with it, please do not read. If you don't have a problem with it, the fic is pretty much fluff… I've also only used Japanese names in this story. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome; flames are not. 

~*~*~*~

Marmalade 

~*~*~*~

__

itsumademo kimi dake wa kawaranai de soba ni ite

boku no ude de dakishimeta toki kara

kono yokan ni kizuita kara

~*~*~*~

A dark haired, teenage boy rode his bike along the pathway that connected Tokiwa City to Masara Town. The bike was bright red, matching his jacket, which was littered with badges relating to the Sekiei league. His brown eyes were gazing beyond the horizon, not at the path in front of him. He had road along it many times before… And it was a time of the day, during a time of the year, when not many people were seen on it, so it wouldn't matter to him. 

He was going home, home after three long years… Home after years of not seeing the place where he spent his childhood. Still, it didn't really matter to him.

His red jacket blew in the created wind of the bike. 

He fingered his Pokéballs, thinking of what was inside. He had left the Pokémon League for good… People still referred to him as "Grand Champion", but he didn't like to think of himself that way. He was nowhere close to being the best… Just because he was given a title, didn't mean to him that he'd have anything to back it up… Except for his Pokémon. He had a Fushigibana, a strong, beautiful Pokémon that evolved from his Fushigidane, his starter. He smiled. 

How could he forget the day that his Fushigisou evolved? He remembered when each petal on its back slowly unveiled in the morning sunlight. He remembered how the newly unleashed blossom dripped with dew as it dried in the sun.

Remembering that, he grinned again, and rode along the pathway.

~*~*~*~

"I'm home!" he yelled into the silence of his old house. The door was open, the same as it always was. Ahead of him lay the kitchen; pots and pans cluttered on the countertop. The silver of it glinted into his eyes as he walked through the door. He slid his bag off his bag, dropping it to the ground. 

The bag landed sharply with a "thump". 

Satoshi continued to walk through the house, casting his eyes on the familiar sky blue furniture, which lay in the living room. He sat down on a sofa, digging his nose into the plush cushions. 

The smell of his past drifted into his nose. He used to spend hours lying on the sofa, sometimes watching TV, while other times just dreaming of becoming a master. Now that was what he was, but was that what he really wanted?

He sat up. The house was faintly lit by the sunlight that drifted into the windows.

He heard the door open, and then slam shut. He stood up, and walked slowly towards the door. It was his mother; he could recognize her anywhere. She hadn't changed at all in the years… But had he?

"Mom?" he said, quickly. 

His mother blinked, as though she was trying to remember something. "Are you Satoshi? If you're not, get out of my house. _Now_,"she said sharply at him.

Satoshi smiled at his mother. 

She blinked again. "Satoshi?" she said, running over and hugging him. 

"I'm so happy to see you back!" she said, squeezing him tightly. She was still much taller then him, at least a head. She let go of him. "Now that I think about it… What are you doing home?"

Satoshi sighed uneasily. 

"No, it's ok, you don't have to tell me…" she said.

"I'm going to go out again," said Satoshi, darting past his mother, picking his bag off the floor, feeling the sudden weight of it. 

~*~*~*~

Satoshi walked towards a field. He remembered this place fondly… He'd stay here, pretending to catch and train Pokémon, under the blinding sun. The long, bright green grass blew in the faint wind. 

Today, however, something was different. In the center of the field was a shorthaired boy. His hair was brown, and it was slightly spiked. His eyes were brown, and slightly glazed over. He was watching the sky, almost as though he was waiting for something… Or perhaps someone.

"Shigeru?" said Satoshi to the boy, running towards him. "It's been a long, long time…"

Shigeru turned. "Please don't bother me," he snapped, turning his eyes back to the sky. 

"What are you doing back, anyway?" he mumbled bitterly. "I thought you thought you were too good to return…"

Satoshi ignored his comments. "Isn't it a nice day today?"

"Yes, really nice," mumbled Shigeru sarcastically. "Now, why don't you run off and play with your Pokémon?"

"Well, I can see you haven't changed… Just as bitter and spiteful as always."

Shigeru didn't respond, and continue to watch the sky. 

Satoshi grinned, walking next to him. Satoshi didn't seem to care that someone was standing next to him, and continued to watch. 

Shigeru raised a hand into the sky. "Do you see it, Sato-chan?"

Satoshi followed the hand towards the sky. There was a large, white cloud, and a bunch of smaller, whispery ones. The whispery ones spread across the endless blue sky, almost blotting it out. "Clouds!" he said energetically. 

Shigeru sighed. 

"Look, there's one shaped like a Pikachu!"

Shigeru sighed, again. "I also see you haven't changed," he said, starting to smile. 

Satoshi continued to watch the clouds. "Wait… Shigeru, why would you want me to see clouds?" he said in a confused tone of voice.

"Will you battle me, one on one?" asked Shigeru to Satoshi.

"What does that have to do with my question?"

"What does your answer have to do with mine?" said Shigeru, winking.

"Alright… I will…" said Satoshi, sighing.

"Great!" Shigeru walked towards the other side of the field, purple shirt blowing in the breeze. "Do you think this is going to be enough room?" he yelled from the other side.

"More then enough!" yelled Satoshi back again. "Can I choose first?"

"Alright…"

Satoshi tossed a Pokéball towards the center of the field. The red and white ball flew through the air before opening, creating a beam of red light, closing, and flying back towards Satoshi. The light materialized into the shape of a yellow mouse. It was round, with long ears tipped with black. Its red cheeks sparked quickly, and it watched Satoshi's hands.

Shigeru smiled. "Pikachu, again? I remember you always using it in battles…" He held a Pokéball towards the center of the field. 

"Burakii, go!" Shigeru said, releasing it. It opened in a flash of red light, revealing a black, cat shaped Pokémon. It sat down, licking its left paw. 

"Pikachu, use Thundershock!" yelled Satoshi, extending a finger swiftly towards Burakii. 

The Pikachu's red cheeks flashed yellow, as a miniature bolt of lightning darted from it. The cat lazily sidestepped it, lowering its head towards the yellow mouse.

"Shado…" began Shigeru, but the words were interrupted by a flash of black light.

A quickly growing black ball sped across the grass, hitting Pikachu in the center of its chest. "Pikaaa!" it yelled as it was tossed backwards across the field, crashing into Satoshi. 

"Pikachu, are you hurt?" said Satoshi to the Pokémon, setting it on its feet. 

"Pika," replied Pikachu, in a determined voice, expressing more emotion in it then a thousand words could.

Satoshi smiled at it. "Then get back out there!"

Pikachu turned around, and darted back towards the Burakii. _Let's see…_ thought Satoshi as he watched Shigeru lazily told Burakii to "Curse itself". 

A deep black cloud surrounded Burakii, as the Pokémon closed its eyes. It raised its paw to its head, licked it, and brought it back down again, in a single, slow motion. _God… Not Curse…_

He recalled the last time one of his Pokémon had used a physical attack against a Shadowballed Pokémon. Although the Pokémon was hit dead on by the attack, it wasn't phased, and launched a finishing blow against his own Pokémon.

This was the middle of another battle, although a friendly one, but he still couldn't afford to make the same mistake.

"You know what to do!" he yelled at his Pikachu, praying that it _would_ know what to do. The Pokémon swiftly turned its head and nodded, its lightning bolt shaped tail bobbing up and down. 

Closing its eyes, it pointed its tail towards the sky. The sky clouded over, casting shadows over the sunbaked grass. Torrents of water raged down upon the ground, lit gently in the faint sunlight.

Racing towards the dark Pokémon, it jumped up in mid air, closed its eyes, and launched itself a short distance away from the Pokémon. 

"Pikachu!" it yelled in a high pitched, squeaky voice, as it aimed its tail over its head towards the Burakii. The tail began to glow yellow, as the other Pokémon slowly walked towards the Pikachu, red eyes glowing in the rain.

"Shadowball it again," said Shigeru, as the Burakii lowered its head, aiming its yellow, circular, spot towards the Pikachu.

Quickly, a flash of lightning darted across the soggy field, directly hitting Burakii in the forehead. The Burakii jumped back, startled, before closing its red eyes and lying on the ground. 

The Pikachu withdrew its no longer glowing tale behind it. The rain started to clear, but the gray clouds remained in the sky, little patches of blue glittering through. 

~*~*~*~

"I…lost?" said Shigeru, falling to his knees. "But I've tried so hard…"

Satoshi walked towards him, grinning. "Good match. You and your Pokémon have really improved," he said, extending his hand. 

"I wanted to beat you…" Shigeru said, pausing for a second, "…but I don't think I ever will."

Still clutching his Pokéball, he stood up, raising his hand to his face. He could see Satoshi's outstretched hand in front of him, warm and friendly. Over the years, Satoshi had stayed the same… Unchanging.

"Sato-chan, I became your rival because I thought I was good enough… But I'm not," Shigeru stammered, tears beginning to fall down his cheeks. 

He threw himself into Satoshi's chest, still crying. Satoshi looked at Shigeru with a startled look, which quickly changed to a smile.

"I'm so sorry, Sato-chan," he said, hugging him tightly. 

Satoshi hugged him back, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "It's alright…" he said, holding Shigeru's head with the hand that was once outstretched. 

Shigeru squeezed tighter, breathing heavily into Satoshi's shirt. It was drenched by the rain, but warm. "Thank you…" he whispered under his breath, looking up into Satoshi's shallow black eyes.

__

I hope that we can be together… Forever… he thought, closing his eyes, letting go of Satoshi.

"I don't want to be your rival anymore, Sato-chan," he said, grasping Satoshi's hand. "I want to be… your friend." 

He smiled, turning his back to his ex-rival, and began to walk back towards the houses of Pallet Town. His ying-yang necklace blew behind him; his hands clasped behind his back over the red and white Pokéball.

~*~*~*~

__

itsudatte boku dake wa…

kimi o hanashitari wa shinai kara

boku ga kimi o mamotte miseru kara…

kono yokan ni kizuita kara

~*~*~*~

__

Fin

Marmalade and _Kimi no Tame ni Dekiru Koto_ are both © Gackt Camui

Pokémon and characters © Nintendo

This fanfic is © 2001 Asahi. I do not own Pokémon or either of those two songs. If I did, I'd be rich.


End file.
